Except in wartime, there has never been another government program that produced as much technological innovation as the U.S. space program, and there likely never will be. No other program has so successfully infused the economy, rallied the nation, inspired youngsters toward academic achievement or established the U.S. as the world leader in technology.

In spite of this, on Feb. 1, President Barack Obama announced the cancellation of the Constellation program of exploration, leaving NASA, for the first time in history, without a specific mission. It is as if President Gerald Ford had canceled the space shuttle program in 1975, just as the last Apollo mission was being flown. The shuttle orbiter development was well under way at the time, but that did not save us from a six-year gap before the next American was launched into space.

Today there is no realistic successor for human spaceflight waiting in the wings.

The biggest consequence of that first gap was the best and brightest of the NASA engineers and scientists leaving to seek more challenging jobs. It took years to rebuild the professional team that would eventually launch 134 shuttle missions and construct the most amazing engineering project in history — the International Space Station.

The space shuttle program not only maintained our preeminence in space, it raised our technical expertise and further increased our prestige among the developed nations of the world — precisely the same reasons the Chinese are now working toward landing a man on the moon.

Congress is our last hope of putting a stop to the dismantling of a once great agency. Members of Congress are concerned about job losses and the economic impact, but in the long run they are not nearly as costly as the loss of an inspirational vision for the next generation of space scientists, engineers and explorers. You have only to look at Lewis and Clark, our westward expansion and Armstrong and Aldrin landing on the moon to know exploration is in our blood. We should be proud of it. Americans need a frontier.

While NASA and some others are trying to put the best positive spin on the budget proposal, the negative fallout is building. Personnel requirements for the agency's new direction will do little to mitigate the tremendous losses from this foolish cancellation without a replacement in hand. The real loss, as in the 1970s, will be those trained and experienced engineers who are already leaving for more inspiring pursuits.

Spokesmen are trying to rationalize the debilitating cuts in the agency's programs. They claim the “$6 billion increase over the next five years demonstrates President Obama's strong commitment to space exploration.” That is just over 1 percent a year, and $2.5 billion of it is committed to the shutdown of Constellation, the same amount proposed for research on how global warming is affecting the Earth.

The $19 billion for 2011 is less than 0.5 percent of the proposed federal budget, one-ninth of what it was at its peak in the 1960s. The $300 million increase eliminates the program of human space exploration and sentences the agency to the same starvation diet it has existed on for the past several decades. NASA needs a $3 billion increase to continue operating a viable human space program.

NASA spin is touting “new technology development programs to expand the capabilities of future explorers”— in-orbit fuel depots, rendezvous and docking, closed-loop life support systems, heavy-lift research and development of new engines, propellants, materials and combustion processes. These may sound new to someone unfamiliar with what NASA has been doing for 50 years, but (with one exception) they are pursuits for which NASA already has an unmatched reputation. Each of these would have played an essential role in the now canceled Constellation program. Without the focus of a specific mission, the raison d'être for these technologies is now “to advance the field of space science.”

In the place of the canceled Ares and Orion hardware, we now have increased support for education, increased spending on the discredited global warming hypocrisy and subsidies to several new commercial rocket companies. And, oh yes, don't forget a new outreach program to Muslim countries without established space programs.

In canceling Constellation with nothing to take its place, the president is saying the U.S. should not have its own human space program and is directing funds to the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, or COTS. If NASA wants to participate in human spaceflight, it will have to be through contractors.Market realities

NASA has always contracted for most of its hardware and service needs. Some of the contractors were successful in private industry, and sometimes the government was the sole customer. A company dependent solely on government grants, contracts and guarantees is not a free-market, private enterprise.

To succeed in the private sector a company must raise capital, develop a product, sell it at a profit and show a return on investment commensurate with the risk within a reasonable time frame. Unfortunately, space will not be an attractive commercial opportunity for the foreseeable future. Space exploration is a costly precursor to uncovering commercial opportunities, and it will be decades before a private investor can expect a return commensurate with the risk of exploration.

Until we find a way to make a profit in space, governments and countries are the only institutions able to afford space exploration and live with the extremely long-term returns. That is why NASA must continue to develop the next-generation human space system, whatever form that system may take. Human space systems cannot be evaluated solely on the basis of scientific return per dollar spent. Dominance in space gives our country credibility or leverage in so many other forms than economic gains; scientific discovery, understanding of the universe, international prestige, military stature and being seen as a country that can do anything we set our minds to.Limited effect

The COTS program — companies selling services to NASA — made some sense with NASA still in the exploration business, doing the applied research and expanding the envelope of space travel beyond the moon. It would be very difficult for private companies to replicate the singular competence NASA has developed. Even if COTS-created vehicles are successful, they will be woefully inadequate for near-term needs and will do nothing for exploration.

Only government programs — regardless of country — will get humans to the moon and beyond. Space exploration is an activity from which monetary profits cannot be generated, leaving contractors supplying government programs that do not have to show a profit. After 50 years in space, how many lunar or interplanetary space probes have been launched by commercial space companies?

We have been told by the agency that future exploration programs, such as returning to the moon or going to Mars, will be a global effort, not an American one. That may sound appealing with respect to sharing costs and other resources, but it virtually guarantees those programs will take longer, cost more and render them vulnerable to political bickering — like the International Space Station. As a result of the political decision to make the Russians a full partner, the ISS has cost the U.S. $10 billion more, was two years late and required that the station be placed in an orbit unacceptable for most alternative uses.Degeneration?

Have we really degenerated as a country to the point where we can no longer fund our own exploration? Did we spend $460 billion becoming pre-eminent in space, only to stupidly surrender it? What does our new dependence on other countries to send Americans into space say about our culture, society and prospects for the future?

NASA was always considered in a class by itself. Now, when the world is becoming increasingly dependent on space-based systems, we seem bent on slipping back into mediocrity. How do you rationalize surrendering our pre-eminence in space? The last time a country voluntarily gave up its pre-eminent position in exploration was when the Ming government recalled the Chinese fleets in 1433. That critical error condemned China to worldwide stagnation for centuries.

NASA has always been a mission-driven agency that attracted a particular kind of individual. It focused on the objective, determined the obstacles, solved the problems and, in the end, accomplished the impossible. We all benefit from the technological fallout to our economy and our growing stature in the world. Continuing NASA's program of exploration requires three things: the technology, the resources and the will to do it. We have plenty of the first two, but have we lost the will?

Cunningham piloted the first manned Apollo mission in 1968 and is author of The All-American Boys.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

8:30 a.m. Vondrak R. * Keller J. Chin G. Garvin J. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at the Midpoint of the Exploration Mission [#1660] The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was launched on June 18, 2009 and arrived at the Moon five days later. This presentation updates the status and recent results from the LRO Exploration Mission, as well as the plans for the Science Mission.

8:55 a.m. Spence H. E. * CRaTER Science Team - Lunar Cosmic Ray Albedo Measurements Using the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter [#2659] CRaTER measurement capabilities provide new insights on the spatial and temporal variability of the GCR populations and their interactions with the lunar surface.

9:20 a.m. Gladstone G. R. Initial Results from the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) Instrument on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Mission [#2277] LAMP is a far-ultraviolet (FUV) imaging spectrograph on NASA’s LRO mission. LAMP will map the Moon at FUV wavelengths, allowing new studies of the microphysical and reflectance properties of the regolith. Preliminary mapping and LCROSS support results are presented.

10:15 a.m. Goswami J. N. * An Overview of the Chandrayaan-1 Mission [#1591] An overview of the Chandrayaan-1 mission, including performance of the eleven payloads, their lunar coverage and examples of salient results from the mission are presented. Chandrayaan-1 mission made important discoveries that provide new insights on lunar evolution.

11:15 a.m. Wu Y. Z. * Tang Z. S. Mapping the Absorption Center of the Lunar Minerals: Preliminary Results from CE-1 IIM Data [#1216] We showed our experience in the use of Chang’E-1 IIM data. We produced the global map of the stagnation point of the Moon with IIM data. This global map can contribute to the lunar research and has some potential to be explored.

New map of water and hydroxyl on the moon from M3 data. Compare this image to that from Pieters et al. [3] Science cover image for October 23 where the same color scheme was used. Red = 2-micron pyroxene absorption band depth, green = 2.4-micron apparent reflectance, and blue = absorptions due to water and hydroxyl. In the scheme of color mixing, cyan (light blue) = green + blue, magenta = blue + red, and pink = blue + green + red. Yellow and orange = green plus red. Therefore, all blue, cyan, magenta and pink areas contain adsorbed water and/or hydroxyl, while red, green, yellow and orange contain little to no water or hydroxyl.

2:00 p.m. Farrell W. M. * Killen R. M. Delory G. T. NLSI-DREAM Team - The Case of Reactive Surface Geochemistry at the Moon [#2228] There is a mounting body of evidence suggesting that there are active geochemical processes occurring at the lunar surface.

2:15 p.m. Hurley D. * Surficial OH/H2O on the Moon: Modeling Delivery, Redistribution, and Loss [#1844] We model the solar wind interaction with the lunar regolith to understand the observations of OH on the lunar surface and what they imply for the migration of water to the lunar poles.

3:15 p.m. Mazarico E. * LOLA Science Team - Illumination of the Lunar Poles From Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) Topographic Data [#1828] LOLA data enable precise modeling of polar illumination conditions over timescales relevant to mission planning. At 10 m above the surface, an area near the South Pole offers 95% average illumination, and continuous sunlight ~200 days in most years.

3:30 p.m. Greenwood J. P. * Itoh S. Sakamoto N. Taylor L. A. Warren P. H. Yurimoto H. Water in Apollo Rock Samples and the D/H of Lunar Apatite [#2439] Hydrogen isotopes of lunar water in apatite are measured in Apollo rock samples for the first time. The Moon has a unique D/H.

3:45 p.m. McCubbin F. M. * Steele A. Nekvasil H. Schnieders A. Rose T. Fries M. Carpenter P. K. Jolliff B. L. Detection of Structurally Bound Hydroxyl in Apatite from Apollo Mare Basalt 15058,128 Using TOF-SIMS [#2468] Using TOF-SIMS, we have shown that hydroxyl is present within apatite in lunar mare basalt 15058,128. This is the first find of water in a lunar magmatic mineral, and this result holds important implications for the water content of the lunar interior.

4:15 p.m. Elkins-Tanton L. T. * Water in the Lunar Mantle: Results from Magma Ocean Modeling [#1451] Modeling lunar magma ocean solidification including a small amount of initial water produces predictions for the locations and quantities of water that should be found in the lunar interior, and which would have been de-gassed and possibly interacted with the lunar surface.

4:30 p.m. Grieves G. * Hibbitts C. A. Dyar M. D. Orlando T. M. Poston M. Johnson A. Mobility and Subsurface Redistribution of Volatiles Through Regolith Materials [#2552] Increasing evidence supports the notion that water is present on the Moon. We report here on development of models to assess the mobility of volatiles such as hydrogen (as H2O and OH) on grain surfaces within the top meter of a regolith.

Figure 1. from x-ray composite image made with the electron microprobe, red represents aluminum, green, magnesium, and blue, iron. A glassy impact-melt vein with several large vesicles cuts through the breccia on the right side. Bx=Breccia, OPB=Olivine Phyric Basalt, OGC=Olivine Gabbro Cumulate [LPSC 2010, 2593]

Takeda H. Kobayashi S. Yamaguchi A. Otsuki M. Ohtake M. Haruyama J. Morota T. Karouji Y. Hasebe N. Nakamura R. Ogawa Y. Matsunaga T. Olivine Fragments in Dhofar 307 Lunar Meteorite and Surface Materials of the Farside Large Basins [#1572] Based on mineralogy of clasts derived from spinel troctolite and very low Th contents of Dhofar 307, we found that Dirichlet-Jackson basin in the lowest-Th region found by the GRS onboard Kaguya, is a good candidate where the breccia was developed.

Basilevsky A. T. Neukum G. Nyquist L. Lunar Meteorites: What They Tell Us About the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Mare Basalts [#1214] An analysis of data from the Lunar Meteorite Compendium shows that a significant fraction of lunar meteorite source craters are less than hundreds of meters in diameter; cryptomaria are abundant in the highlands; and the meteorite mare basalt ages fill the gaps in the Apollo/Luna basalt age distribution.

Robinson K. L. Treiman A. H. Mare Basalt Fragments in Lunar Highlands Meteorites: Connecting Measured Ti Abundances with Orbital Remote Sensing [#1788] We retrieved Ti contents of parent magmas for seven basalt clasts in highlands meteorites. The magmas are VLT and low-Ti basalts. A histogram of their Ti contents is similar to that from global remote sensing, and not like that of the Apollo mare basalts.

O’Sullivan K. M. Neal C. R. Petrogenesis of Apollo 12 Basalts 12031 and 12038 [#2307] We report crystal size distributions along with major and minor element abundances to model the petrogenesis of these rocks.

Krawczynski M. J. Sutton S. R. Barr J. A. Grove T. L. Titanium Valence in Lunar Ultramafic Glasses and Olivine-Diogenites [#1825] The valence of Ti in lunar glasses and olivine-diogenites is a function of melt composition and compatibility of Ti3+ in Fe-Mg minerals. The differences between glass and coexisting minerals suggests a non-quenchability of the Ti valence in glass.

Liang Y. Schiemenz A. Parmentier E. M. Melting and Melt Migration in a Heterogeneous Lunar Mantle: Physical Processes and Chemical Consequences [#2241] Using numerical simulation we show that the distribution of key melt migration features, such as the depth of dunite channel, are strongly correlated with the amount and spatial distribution of the heterogeneous materials in the lunar mantle.

Fifteen degrees of Oceanus Procellarum, centered southwest of the Marius Domes (750 nm / Clementine 1994), 300 degrees longitude east to 315, and from the equator in the south to 15 degrees North latitude (top). The area studied by Weider, Crawford and Joy (1300) "showing the major surface features and lava flow boundaries" lava flow relevant to their work are marked P53 and P24.

Weider S. Z. Crawford I. A. Joy K. H. Impact Craters: Windows Through Lava Flows in Oceanus Procellarum [#1300] Using Clementine multispectral data we have identified impact craters within a specific lava flow that have excavated material from a deeper and older lithology, their diameters can be used to estimate the thickness of the surface flow.

Hagerty J. J. Hawke B. R. Giguere T. A. Gaddis L. R. Lawrence D. J. The Thorium Abundance Distribution of the Humorum Pyroclastic Deposit [#2624] A large pyroclastic glass deposit has been identified in the southwestern part of Mare Humorum. We use forward modeling of Lunar Prospector Gamma Ray Spectrometer thorium data to place compositional and petrogenetic constraints on the deposit.

Fitoussi C. Bourdon B. Pahlevan K. Wieler R. Si Isotope Constraints on the Moon-forming Impact [#2653] The giant impact could have affected the Si isotope composition of the Moon, as it should have resulted in a vaporization of precursors of the lunar material. The analysis of Si isotopes in lunar rocks provides insights into the formation of Moon.

Charlier B. Namur O. Grove T. L. Anorthosite in the Sept Iles Layered Intrusion (Canada): Ideas for the Formation of the Lunar Crust [#1231] Anorthosite formation processes and the accumulation of buoyant plagioclase at the base and the top of the 5000 km2 Sept Iles layered intrusion are used as analogue to explain the origin of the vertically zoned lower and upper lunar crusts.

Miura Yas. Calicium-rich Plagioclases Formed by Giant Impact Event to the Lunar Crust [#2462] The lunar crust with anorthositic compositions is considered to be derived from primordial Earth during impact, which is found in C, N and Cl elements of lunar basalts, and Ca-plagioclase formation at hot carbon dioxide gas at Mutsure-jima, Japan.

Zhong S. J. Are Mare Basalt Volcanism, Volatile Distribution in the Lunar Mantle, and Moonquakes Related? [#2063] A new hypothesis on mare basalts, moonquakes, and lunar interior structures including volatile distributions is proposed. The new hypothesis is to be tested with new tidal deformation model that accounts for heterogeneous lunar mantle structure.

Pidgeon R. T. Nemchin A. A. Grange M. L. Meyer C. Evidence for a Lunar “Cataclysm” at 4.34 Ga from Zircon U-Pb Systems [#1126] The dating of large impacts on the Moon is a major problem for lunar evolution. We discuss evidence from SIMS UPb analyses of zircons from lunar breccias, together with textural and mineral data, for an extremely large impact on the Moon at ~4.34Ga.

Connelly J. N. Borg L. E. Revisiting the Pb Isotopic System in Lunar Ferroan Anorthosite 60025 [#1966] After extensive pre-cleaning and using a stepwise dissolution procedure, we have analyzed Pb from a mafic fraction from lunar ferroan anorthosite 60025 to determine a preliminary Pb-Pb crystallization age of 4382 ± 8 Ma.

Arai T. Yoshitake M. Tomiyama T. Niihara T. Yokoyama T. Kaiden H. Misawa K. Irving A. J. Support for a Prolonged KREEP Magmatism: U-Pb Age Dating of Zircon and Baddeleyite in Lunar Meteorite NWA 4485 [#2379] The U-Pb and Pb-Pb age spectrum of 4352–3922 Ma obtained from analyses of zircon and baddeleyite in a KREEP-rich lunar meteorite NWA 4485 supports a prolonged KREEP magmatism, which has been suggested from U-Pb isotopic studies of zircons in the Apollo non-mare samples.

POSTER SESSION I:A NEW MOON:VOLATILE SPECIES AROUND THE MOON7:00 p.m. Town Center Exhibit Area

Gibson E. K. Pillinger C. T. Re-Assessment of “Water on the Moon” After LCROSS [#1829] Detection of water on the lunar surface by recent spacecraft in orbit and from impactors into permanently shadowed regions must take into account available information from past analysis of the Apollo sample collection. Solar wind production of volatiles must be considered.

Shearer C. K. Sharp Z. D. Brearley A. King P. L. Fischer T. A “Dry” Versus a “Wet” Moon. The Effect of Potential Indigenous Water on the Composition of Lunar Volcanic Gases and Sublimates [#1941] As another perspective for evaluating the controversy between a “wet” and “dry” Moon, we are examining the effect of variable water content on the composition of lunar volcanic gases and sublimation products.

Crotts A. P. S. Hummels C. Outgassing/Regolith Interactions and Lunar Hydration [#2079] A model of lunar interior outgassing successfully predicted that hydrated regolith would be found in a patchy distribution concentrated within ~20° of the poles, as detected by the Chandrayaan-1 M3 and in hydrogen by epithermal neutron absorption.

Zhang Y. Wang K. L. Bubble Growth in Lunar Basalts and Lunar Volatile Budget [#1120] We will model bubble growth rates in lunar basaltic melts and examine the controlling factors. Various means to constrain volatile contents in the Moon will also be discussed.

Starukhina L. V. Shkuratov Y. G. Simulation of 3-μm Absorption Band in Lunar Spectra: Water or Solar Wind Induced Hydroxyl? [#1385] Theoretical simulation of 3-μm absorption bands in lunar reflectance spectra shows that chemical trapping of solar wind protons and formation of OH groups in the rims of lunar regolith particles can be responsible for the observed absorption.

Kim K. J. Reedy R. C. Drake D. M. Hasebe N. Numerical Simulation of Gamma-Ray and Neutron Production in the Lunar Surface Using the MCNPX Code System [#2420] The production of gamma-rays and neutrons in the lunar surface investigated by the MCNPX code is useful in understanding production mechanisms for secondary particle fluxes, especially both neutrons and gamma-rays in planetary surfaces.

Lawrence D. J. Feldman W. C. Elphic R. C. Maurice S. Hurley D. M. Miller R. S. Sensitivity of Neutron Measurements to the Thickness and Abundance of Surfical Lunar Water [#1471] Lunar Prospector neutron data do not show strong evidence for a H signature at Goldschmidt crater. Based on new neutron transport models, the thickness of the H-rich material detected by the NIR spectral data is less than 0.5 cm.

Figure 1. from LUNAR POLAR ILLUMINATION CONDITIONS DERIVED USING KAGUYA LASER DATA (2293) "Comparison between two Kaguya-derived simulations and actual Clementine images of the region near Shackleton crater. Earth is towards the top of the images. The Sun direction for the top images is 15°W and for the bottom images is 167°E. The Kaguya DEM can be used to accurately predict the illumination conditions."

Wang K. L. Xu Z. Zhang Y. Calibration for Infrared Measurements of Water in Apatite [#1121] We report a study on calibration of infrared (IR) method to determine water concentration in apatite using the elastic recoil detection (ERD) method. The calibration will allow us to constrain water content in lunar and martian apatites using IR spectra.

Sharp Z. D. Shearer C. K. Barnes J. D. The Chlorine Isotope Composition of the Moon [#2424] The Cl isotope composition of lunar samples varies from –0.74 to +16.00‰. The high values are due to loss of the light isotope by solar wind bombardment, micrometeorite impact and/or higher (escape) velocities of the light HCl isotopologue.

Wetzel D. Rutherford M. J. Hauri E. H. Saal A. E. - Carbon in Lunar Magmas: Abundance, Speciation and Role in Magmatic Processes [#1827] The results of SIMS and RAMAN analyses on previous experiments and the results of new graphite-saturated experiments for both the A17 orange and A15 green glass compositions indicate the abundance, speciation, and role of carbon in lunar magmas.

Visible Camera Image of LCROSS Ejecta. Visible ejecta reaching sunlight a few seconds after the impact into Cabeus. (Image has been processed to enhance visibility of plume). Figure 1 from LCROSS EJECTA DYNAMICS: INSIGHT FROM EXPERIMENTS (2095).

POSTER SESSION I:A NEW MOON: LCROSS7:00 p.m. Town Center Exhibit Area

Killen R. M. Potter A. E. Hurley D. M. Plymate C. Naidu S. Observations of the LCROSS Impact Event from the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope: Sodium and Dust [#2333] We used the McMath-Pierce telescope to observe sodium ejected as a result of the LCROSS impact onto the Moon on Oct. 9, 2009. We also observed in light of two orthogonal polarizations to detect dust. We observed 2 kg of sodium but saw no evidence for dust.

Storrs A. D. Colaprete A. Observations of the LCROSS Lunar Impact from Hubble Space Telescope [#2196] We present results of the HST observations in support of the impact of the LCROSS mission into a permanently shadowed crater near the south pole of the Moon.

Summy D. P. Goldstein D. B. Varghese P. L. Trafton L. M. Colaprete A. Gas and Dust Dynamic Model of the LCROSS Impacts [#2091] We present the latest developments in our model of the LCROSS impact plumes, focusing on new features designed to match results from LCROSS and LRO observations.

Artemieva N. Magic of an Impact Plume — Insight from Numerical Modeling [#1968] Numerical models are used to unveil some secrets of an impact plume and to clarify its role in the impact ejecta deposition. The Ries and Chicxulub craters are discussed.

Garry W. B. Robinson M. S. LROC Team - Observations of Flow Lobes in the Phase I Lavas, Mare Imbrium, the Moon [#2278] The Phase I lavas in Mare Imbrium on the Moon have previously been defined only by albedo and color boundaries on the surface. We present LROC NAC images of flow lobes in the Phase I lavas and implications for emplacement parameters.

Xiao Z. Zeng Z. Ding N. Hu C. Origin of Pit Chains in the Floor of Lunar Copernican Craters — Example of Crater Copernicus, Aristarchus and Tycho [#1034] The inner crater floor pit chains in lunar Copernican craters are originated from the activity of faults while there are two possible formation mechanism of the round crater floor pit chains.

Xiao Z. Zeng Z. Xiao L. Origin of Polygons in the Crater Floor of Tycho [#1526] Polygons in the floor of crater Tycho are orignated from the uplift of subsurface magma while the source of the magma is still undetermined.

Korteniemi J. Eldridge D. L. Lough T. Werblin L. Singer K. Kring D.- Assessment of Lunar Volcanic Morphological Diversity: Distribution of Floor-fractured Craters [#1335] A survey of floor-fractured craters on the Moon from global data. They are locations where a multitude of volcanic deposits can be sampled, and they should thus be taken into account when considering landing sites for future missions.

Srisutthiyakorn N. Kiefer W. S. Kirchoff M. Spatial Distribution of Volcanos in the Marius Hills and Comparison with Volcanic Fields on Earth and Venus [#1185] The spatial concentration of volcanos in the Marius Hills on the Moon is comparable to the concentration in the Snake River Plains of Idaho and for a number of volcanic dome fields on Venus.

Lough T. Gregg T. K. P. Geologic Mapping of the Aristarchus Plateau Region on the Moon [#2370] We present preliminary mapping of a 13° × 10° area around Aristarchus plateau, located in Lunar Quadrangle 10, with the goal of inferring changes in magma properties and volcanic plumbing through detailed mapping of surficial deposits.

Morota T. Haruyama J. Ohtake M. Matsunaga T. Yokota Y. Honda C. Sugihara T. Kimura J. Ishihara Y. Kawamura T. Iwasaki A. Saiki K. Takeda H. Mare Volcanism on the Farside and in the Orientale Region of the Moon [#1309] Dating of lunar mare basalts is necessary for understanding the volcanic history of the Moon. Here we performed new crater counts in mare deposits on the farside and in the Orientale region, using new images obtained by SELENE Terrain Camera.

Payne C. J. Spudis P. D. Bussey B. Thomson B. J. Scattering Properties of Lunar Geological Units Revealed by the Mini-SAR Imaging Radar, Chandrayaan-1 Mission [#1211] We have collected data from Mini-SAR orbital radar on the surface scattering properties of several lunar geological units of varying age and origin with the aim of understanding the physical properties of the surface of the Moon.

Fig. 3. (LPSC-XLI-1712) Lambert Equal-Area Projection of geopotential topography of the entire Moon, centered on the antipode of a suggested large basin [9] at 22°E, 8.5°N covering 5/8 of the surface. The South Pole-Aitken Basin is superimposed on the lower half of this elevated region.

Sori M. M. Zuber M. T. - Preliminary Measurement of Depth-to-Diameter Ratios of Lunar Craters in the Transition Regime Between Complex Craters and Multiringed Basins [#2202] Impact craters on the Moon follow a size-morphology sequence. This study looks at those impact structures in the transition regime between complex craters and multiringed basins. The ratios of those structures’ depth to diameter are measured.

Marchi S. Bottke W. F. New Insights on the Cratering History of Lunar Farside [#1314] In order to achieve a better understanding of the early evolution of the Moon, we performed new crater counts on the oldest terrains on the lunar farside. Derived crater counts are here presented and analysed.

Morita S. Asada N. Demura H. Hirata N. Terazono J. Ogawa Y. Honda C. Kitazato K. Approach to Crater Chronology with Fourier Transform of Digital Terrain Model [#1990] We validated the effect of crater position, diameter and number using the transformed images and their average values. As a result, it showed fourier transform of DTM may be able to be used for geological age estimation instead of crater counting.

Ambrose W. A. Origin, Distribution and Chronostratigraphy of Asymmetric Secondary Craters and Ejecta Complexes in the Crisium Basin [#1061] Asymmetric secondary craters in the Crisium Basin, differentiated from morphologically similar primary craters, constrain estimated ages of landforms and are instrumental in refining stratigraphic relationships in the basin.

Gan F. P. Yu Y. M. Yan B. K. Primary Study of the Relationship Between the Lunar Surface Topography and Geological Informations [#1303] The distributions of elements and minerals of the lunar surface are retrieved using Clementine data, and DEM model is retrieved using LIDAR data of Chang’E-1 satellite. Finally, the relationship between the compositions and topography of the lunar surface is analyzed.

POSTER SESSION I:EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH:MOON7:00 p.m. Town Center Exhibit Area

Reese D. D. Wood C. A. Learning Lunar Science Through the Selene Videogame [#2260] Selene is a videogame to promote and assess learning of lunar science concepts. As players build and modify a Moon, Selene measures learning as it occurs. Selene is a model for 21st century learning and embedded assessment.

8:30 a.m. Noble S. K. * Examining the Uppermost Surface of the Lunar Regolith [#1505] Understanding the properties of the uppermost surface of the lunar regolith is critical as it is the surface that is probed by remotely-sensed data. Our initial results suggest this surface may be enriched in ultra-fine grains.

Typical impact melt pool and proximal ejecta on the SE rim of Jackson crater in LROC NAC M103216633L. A crater at the boundary between this melt pool and the ejecta blanket is ~20% larger on the ejecta blanket than on the melt pool. This suggests a difference in the target properties of these two units. Figure 1 from 2165, Below)

Differences between familiar near side lunar seas Serenitatis and Tranquillitatis are brought to the surface in a stark demonstration of a wide variation in morphology over time. Fig.2 from SPECTROSCOPIC SIGNATURE OF THE HIGH TITANIUM BASALTS AT MARE TRANQUILLITATIS FROM MOON MINERALOGY MAPPER M3 (Chandrayaan M3) (#2494) 1000 nm integrated band depth image for Mare Traquillitatis and nearby areas.

3:15 p.m. Bugiolacchi R. * Mall U. Bhatt M. McKenna-Lawlor S. A Fresh Look at the Copernicus Crater Central Peak Region Through High-Resolution NIR Data from the SIR-2 Instrument on Chandrayaan-1 [#1609] We looked at the NIR reflectance spectral characteristics of surface materials in the central peaks region of the Copernicus crater using high spectral and spatial resolution data from the SIR-2 instrument on board of the Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission.

4:00 p.m. Riner M. A. * Lucey P. G. Neumann G. A. Mazarico E. Mapping Low-Calcium Pyroxene Using LOLA [#2292] LOLA is not commonly thought to be a mineralogic sensor, but its data can be used to map the relative abundance of magnesian low-calcium pyroxene through detection of changes in spectral reflectance with temperature.